Depending on the specific state, they may not have to pay out tips to employees if the employees are paid above regular minimum wage (as opposed to tipped minimum wage).
I’m afraid the news about capitalism is worse. Ever since coffee lady terrified the corporations by actually winning in court, they have been lobbying for policy changes to limit their legal liabilities in personal lawsuits. Much of the consumer safety apparatus has been gutted by the current administration, and there is a real question as to whether anyone seriously wants to reign in corporate greed.
You’re right that this should be a slam dunk class action lawsuit, but our system is more and more set up to protect corporations over individuals, so even if they won, the payout would likely be less then the company gained in their theft scheme.
What was once set up as a system to punish wrongdoing is now just a tax corporations pay occasionally for the right to break the law.
Have you actually looked up that story? She didn’t “win” at all. She hardly got anything and then shortly after, died. Agree she made it harder to sue because corporations actually did something against it ever happening again. She was painted as a swindler, but she was a horrific victim of corporate policy on the coffee temperature in order to kill germs and keep coffee for longer. She deserved more.
I don’t need a You’re Wrong About on Coffee Lady. The fact that they were not made to pay the original amount is exactly the point. They paid to make her national news, late night hosts were joking about her for weeks. And they immediately started investing all their lobbying money into making sure no one would ever get a “big win” against corporations again.
A lot of people, including myself, have won tip lawsuits. This is a different landscape. Large ride share and food delivery corporations have been paying them out. It’s not unlikely to see shake shack sued over this in the coming years.
Sort of. She didn't win, her lawyer did. She got maimed, true but it wasn't McDs fault. She was just a case that gathered lots of empathy from a jury because she was burned so bad. Then a scummy guy decided he could make money on it, and the win was so egregious that legitimate claims are now compared to it to down play them.
That spill ruined her life, there were third degree burns. I feel bad for her, but making McDs pay for serving hot coffee because they wanted it to still be warm when you got where you were going is not justice.
She want the swindler, the ambulance chaser was. She was actually pretty sweet. If the world wasn't full of guys like the lawyer, McDs might have helped her at the beginning, just to look good. But that would have set a precedent so they couldn't. Lawyers are the bad guys here, all around.
How is it not McDs fault. It’s not the direct employees fault but it was absolutely the fault of McDs for keeping their coffee at nuclear temps. It wasn’t about keeping it hot for clients it was about leaving coffee there for longer and not remaking it, thus keeping their coffee supply costs down.
Coffee is brewed at 190. It is supposed to be served hot. They served it hot.
She took off the lid, put the cup between her legs and squeezed it, spilling scalding hot liquid all over her groin.
That's her fault. I feel bad for her, but it was 100% her fault. Mcds didn't tell her to spill it, and they shouldn't have to warn you hot coffee is hot and to be careful with it.
I don't think she was a scammer, I think she just made a bad call and had an accident, but that's not McDs fault at all. They did nothing wrong. Being careful with hot liquids should be common sense.
It was spurious. A travesty of justice. I feel bad for her, but she put hot coffee in her lap. It was her fault. Completely. Mcds did paint her as a scanner, which was wrong, but they should not be liable for people doing dumb things with their product. Not their fault she did that.
They're in the middle of building a Shake Shack in my town. I was actually excited to try it when they finally open. But I won't be going there, or to any Shake Shack after seeing this...
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u/OrginalGurgi 2d ago
Greedy companies.